1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related generally to graphical user interfaces (GUIs), and more particularly to a personal computer in a computer network which is capable of seamlessly running disparate GUIs and their applications without requiring extraneous system resources.
2. Statement of the Prior Art
Market studies have shown that Microsoft Corporation has shipped nearly eighteen million copies of its "WINDOWS 3.0" operating system in the past two years. Given its popularity and low hardware requirements, "WINDOWS" has become the predominate GUI on desktop personal to computers (PCs). In the "UNIX" environment, however, "X WINDOWS" is considered to be the defacto standard for applications requiring graphics. A major problem with "X WINDOWS" is that it requires system resources typically not found on the desktop PC; for example, a "UNIX" operating system, a large disk drive and fast central processing unit (CPU). As a result, more sophisticated hardware than can be found on the basic desktop PC is needed to run "X WINDOWS" applications.
Currently, several third party vendors offer "X WINDOWS" interoperability in the "MICROSOFT WINDOWS" environment. The approach most commonly taken is to modify the MIT X server code so that it will run under "WINDOWS". While this technique is a popular one, it has several flaws, the most notable of which is that a vast majority of the "MICROSOFT WINDOWS" code is not exploited and, instead, the "X WINDOWS" code is used. This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that the "X WINDOWS" code is not frugal when it comes to system resources such as system memory (i.e., random access memory or RAM) and CPU cycles. Furthermore, "X WINDOWS" is designed to run on a myriad of hardware, ranging from one-bit monochrome to 24-bit true color systems, and with a multitude of keyboards and mice, all of which adds to the system's overhead. As a result, a typical desktop PC can not be used as an "X WINDOWS" workstation.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to leverage off of the success of "MICROSOFT WINDOWS" by providing a nearly seamless integration of "X WINDOWS" applications in the "MICROSOFT WINDOWS" environment, thereby broadening the market exposure of "UNIX" and "UNIX" servers.
It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide a server which is capable of using a minimum amount of system resources on the desktop to perform a particular task.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a server which is capable of providing fast rendering and window manipulation of "X WINDOWS" applications.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a server which is capable of running as many existing "X WINDOWS" applications (e.g., X11R4) as possible without re-linking or re-compiling and without compromising performance.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a server which is capable of providing nearly seamless integration of "X WINDOWS" applications into the "MICROSOFT WINDOWS" environment.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a server which is capable of moving easily from "WINDOWS 3.1" to "WINDOWS NT".